The Wright Stuff: Employee Appreciation Picnic is going to be ‘sweet’

A message to the WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals family

You are making a difference in the lives of our patients and families every day – and I can’t thank you enough for all you do.

One of the staples of WVU Medicine is employee recognition and our annual Employee Appreciation Picnic, which is a small but important reward for your hard work. This year’s event is taking place on Thursday, Aug. 2. It’s a chance to relax for a bit, eat good food, play some games, and connect with colleagues.

I urge you to stop by, even if you can only spare a few minutes. This year’s theme is “Candy Land.” And it sounds like organizers are having a lot of fun with the theme. I don’t want to give away too much and spoil the surprise, but you may see King Kandy, Princess Lolly, Mr. Mint, and other characters from the popular board game.

A party of this magnitude is never easy to pull off, but we have a team of individuals who not only brainstorm on the theme, decorations, and fun amenities, but also make them happen! Believe me, it’s not an easy task, especially since they’re organizing separate events for night shift and day shift. The entire endeavor takes months of planning, yet each year it’s a rousing success and a lot of fun.

A core group of employees helps pull these events together each year. Some members of this year’s team include: Katie Cantis, Mary Fanning, Dan Harris, Stephanie Juristy, Kayla Merrifield, Laura Osborne, Steve Osborne, Ben Phillips, Dave Smallwood, Hannah Smith, Lorrie Stiner, and Becky Wright.

The majority of these folks have worked on this picnic for many years. There are others who will be helping out that day too, doing the behind-the-scenes work that is essential to a smooth-running event.

If you know any of the people I’ve listed above or anyone working the picnic, take the time to say thanks and tell them you appreciate the event and the hard work that goes into it.

And please know that we appreciate each of you. You are the heart and soul of our organization. You care deeply about the men, women, and children we serve and go above and beyond to ensure high quality care and a great experience. Thank you!

The WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals Employee Appreciation Picnic is set for Thursday, Aug. 2, from 12:30-3:30 a.m. (night shift) and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (day shift) at the west concourse of Milan Puskar Stadium. Picnic details, including shuttle information, can be found on CONNECT.